The &#34;Puffy Cheek Pig&#34; Piggy bank

ABSTRACT

A toy bank has a toy bank body having a coin slot. The bank also has an elastic material covering a portion of the toy bank body. The toy bank body is constructed such that the elastic material distends upon insertion of sufficient coins into the coin slot.

BACKGROUND

Quesnay hypothesized that all wealth comes from the land. A small part of this wealth, however, is stored in the piggy banks of young children. A piggy bank is a source of pride—providing both a sense of accomplishment and a burgeoning sense of financial independence. For example, a child can store money earned through household chores in a piggy bank to later buy Playmobil® figures. Many toy banks are in the form of an animal, such as a pig or cockapoo, and have a rigid structure that stores coins without providing a physical indication of the amount saved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a toy bank having an elastic portion that distends upon insertion of coins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a toy bank 100 having a toy bank 100 body in the shape of a pig. The body may comprise a variety of hard or soft materials (e.g., molded rubber, plastic, ceramic, and/or glass) Like conventional toy banks, the toy bank 100 has a coin slot 102 for accepting coins and may include a plugged hole at the bottom (not shown) to empty coins. The toy bank 100 also includes two elastic portions 104 a, 104 b that can distend (e.g., flexibly expand outwardly relative to the curvature of the toy bank 100 body when no coins have been inserted) upon insertion of sufficient coins into the coin slot 102. For example, as shown elastic portion 104 b distends to position 104 b′ upon insertion of sufficient coins. The elastic portion 104 may have some degree of translucence to provide at least a partial visual indication of the shape and physical appearance of inserted coins in the elastic 104 area.

FIG. 1 depicts a toy bank 100 body in the shape of a pig, however, a toy bank may be in various shapes such as different animals or other objects. As shown, the elastic material 104 may be situated at the cheek portion of the pig's face. However, other banks may feature elastic portions located at different animal body positions (e.g., at the stomach of a moose or a cow udder).

The elastic material 104 may be affixed to cover a cut out or aperture of the toy bank 100 body. For example, an adhesive, such as a glue, or other attachment mechanism (e.g., clip or staple) may attach the elastic material 104 to the toy bank 100 body. The elastic material 104 may comprise any of a number of materials such as rubber, latex, nylon, or supplex among a list of suitable possibilities. While the toy bank 100 body may inherently have a small degree of elasticity, the elasticity of the elastic portion 104 is greater than the elasticity of the toy bank 100 body. The elastic material 104 may be a different material and/or a different thickness than the material composing the toy bank 100 body. The elastic material 104 thickness and/or material may be selected to permit the elastic material 104 to break when stretched too far, for example, to permit coins to spill out from the toy bank 100. For instance, the elastic material 104 may be selected to become discontiguous when the material distends by 3 cm. Other distention break points may be selected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the toy bank 100 interior volume may be significantly less than the volume of the toy bank 100 body. For example, interior volume may be decreased by the inclusion of an interior portion 106 that cannot be occupied by coins. For instance, the interior portion 106 may feature a wall or mass that reduces the interior volume and reduces the coins needed before the elastic portion 104 distends. The interior portion 106 may reduce the interior portion to ½ of the volume of the toy bank 100 body. Other interior portions 106, may reduce the interior portion to less than ½, less then ¾, or other reduced volumes relative to the toy bank 100 body.

The depicted toy bank 100 with “puffy cheeks” can provide a physical depiction of the amount a child has saved, providing children with an early form of Veblen's “conspicuous consumption”. While no gift can ever adequately communicate the overwhelming love parents have for their child, the “puffy cheek pig” can be a lifelong symbol of the bursting joy parents have experienced during their offspring's childhood and delight in the rich future ahead. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy bank, comprising: a toy bank body having a coin slot; and an elastic material, having an elasticity exceeding that of the toy bank body, covering a portion of the toy bank body, the toy bank body constructed such that the elastic material distends upon insertion of sufficient coins into the toy bank body coin slot.
 2. The toy bank of claim 1, wherein the toy bank body comprises the body of an animal.
 3. The toy bank of claim 2, wherein the toy bank body comprises the body of a pig.
 4. The toy bank of claim 2, wherein the toy bank body comprises a face and wherein the elastic portion covers each cheek of the face.
 5. The toy bank of claim 1, wherein the elastic material is selected to break upon insertion of a sufficient number of coins.
 6. The toy bank of claim 1, wherein the elastic material comprises at least one of rubber, latex, and supplex.
 7. The toy bank of claim 1, wherein the toy bank body comprises a coin storage area having a volume less than ½ the volume of the toy bank body.
 8. A piggy bank, comprising: a toy bank body in the shape of a pig, having a coin slot; and an elastic material covering each cheek on the face of the pig, having an elasticity exceeding that of the toy bank body, the toy bank body constructed such that the elastic material distends upon insertion of sufficient coins into the toy bank body coin slot, wherein the elastic material is selected to break upon insertion of a sufficient number of coins and wherein the elastic material comprises at least one of rubber, latex, spandex, and plastic, 